One of my favorite weeks of the year. This year, a group of us re-visited Ken Oringer's Toro in the South End of Boston, just as we did last year for Restaurant Week.
Toro is an amazing, but tiny, tapas restaurant in the South End neighborhood of Boston that was recently named as the best place to live in Boston for food. Amidst the beautiful brownstownes and brick sidewalks are tiny, cozy restaurants with character and amazing food.
Ken Oringer is a Boston restauranteur and award-winning chef (James Beard 2001 Best Northeast Chef winner!) who has opened some of the most acclaimed and delicious restaurants in Boston: Clio (contemporary French-American), Uni (sashimi bar), KO Prime (steakhouse), affordably-priced La Verdad (taqueria near Fenway Park). He's even been on Iron Chef America!
(photo credit: www.starchefs.com)
For a mere $33.09 per person, we were able to each get one pincho (basically, an appetizer), and 20 tapas for 8 people. Believe me, we were plenty full by the end.
They had very tasty mixed drinks, and an exclusively Spanish wine list. The sangria (which I did not partake in) was reported to be delicious!
My pincho was Queso Mahon -- marinated cow's milk cheese from Menorca. It came with toothpicks (which is the rough translation of a pincho), and was very tasty.
Some of the other pinchos people ordered were Pan con Tomate (a classic), and Datiles con Jamon (serrano ham wrapped dates!!).
In the tradiational small-plates style of eating, we shared everything. We had the Atun Crudo, which is a non-traditional tapa, and is yellowfin tuna with citrus and soy, garnished with beansprouts. Being a big fan of sushi and sashimi, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
We also had Anna's Empanadas -- chicken and potato empanadas with aji roja and aioli. Deep-fried to a golden crunch, these were tasty little bites of heaven.
We also enjoyed some vegetable selections, including Escalivada Catalana -- marinated wood roasted eggpland, onions, peppers, and tomato with sherry vinegar and olive oil. The eggplant was mushy and very tasty.
There are several items for which I do not have actual descriptions from the menu (the one on the website must not be updated). But we also had some delicious baby clams in a broth that was fit for sopping up with crusty bread, or just drinking straight.
We also had some deliciously crispy and fatty duck that had a nice sweetness with an Asian flair. Yum.
There was also a deliciously tender and fatty braised short rib, which just fell apart under the knife. Just the way braised short ribs should be!
We also had a shrimp dish that was probably cooked in a saffron cream, although I'm not certain. Either way, it was delicious, and perfectly cooked. Who likes overcooked rubbery shrimp?
Oh... finally, and certainly not least... the piece de resistance, "La Especialidad de la Casa" as they say on the menu... the very famous Maiz Asado con Aioli y Queso Cotija. This is the one dish every review for Toro will discuss. This is the dish that is the most memorable, the most messy, and possibly the most delicious. It's grilled corn on the cob that is just smothered, drowning in a rich creamy cheesy buttery herby sauce that gets all over your fingers and in between your teeth, and you need a wetnap afterwards. Then, with all the leftover sauce, you just eat it up with some nice crusty bread. Oh, I will dream of this corn... dream and dream until I meet it again. Soon, I hope.
Some of the other dishes we had were Croquetas de Bacalao (traditional salt cod fritters with lemon rings), Coliflor a la Plancha (cauliflower a la plancha, pimenton de la vera), Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with aioli and spicy tomato sauce), Garbanzos con Chorizo (chickpeas with chorizo, spinach, and hard boiled egg), and Hamburguesas de Kobe (mini burgers with smoked tomato, aioli, and pickled red onion).
If you are in Boston, I highly recommend Toro for a night of tapas you won't soon forget. And be sure to get more than one order of the corn... and save some for me!
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